Hall of Fame Inductee - Larry Gross

The name of Larry Gross was uttered more than once by Quincy basketball fans early in the decade of the 60's. The 6'-3" Gross earned a varsity letter for Sherrill Hanks as a sophomore, scoring 167 points for a team that wen 21-6. As a junior Gross was on of the key players as the Devils posted a 28-4 record while bringing home third place hardware from the state tournament. Gross, who led the team in rebounding, was third in scoring, and shared the Most Valuable Player award with Kenny Wilson and Rick Rineberg. With Gross leading the way, Quincy High School put together a 25-5 record for the 62-63 season, before bowing out in the sectionals. For the Devils, it was a record setting year (6 single game records). For Gross, it was a high school player's dream come true. He lead Quincy in scoring (501 points), free throw percentage and was named as the team's MVP for the second straight season. In additions Gross was chosen to the ten man first team of both the prestigious Associate Press and Chicago Daily News All-State teams. After graduation, Gross attended the University of Missouri on a basketball scholarship. He left Mizzou a short time later, choosing to move to Jacksonville to be near his ailing father. While in Jacksonville, Gross attended McMurray College, where he earned a BA in psychology. After a 21 month stint in the Army, Gross worked at and attended Bowling Green State University - earning a MA in student administration. He completed his education at the University of Purdue, where he finished his PH.D in counseling and personnel administration. Larry Gross currently resides in Florida where he is Director of the Florida Center for Public Management in the Institute of Science and Public Affairs at Florida State University.